Chicago's own 'Tin Man' full of heart
Street performer attracts pedestrians' attention with dance moves, poses

Andrew J. Scott/The Chronicle Katie Schlum (left) of Michigan and Dannan Herman of Chicago (middle) stop to watch street performer Leroy Midyette, aka the ‘Tin Man,’ dance along the Magnificent Mile.

By Inggrid Yonata
Contributing Writer

Leroy Midyette gets off the Red Line at Chicago Avenue on his way to work, much like the majority of the passengers. Only his work garb isn’t the conventional shirt and tie.

Midyette is dressed in his “Tin Man” costume, a somewhat robotic and more modern version of the famous Tin Man of The Wizard of Oz.

The costume is the essence of Midyette’s dance routine as a street performer along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. His livelihood depends on a boom box, a couple of empty crates that serve as a small stage, and Michael Jackson CDs. On any given day, the artist dances for five or six songs, then remains “frozen” for an hour straight, allowing curious onlookers to photograph him in a rigid pose. Then, after a quick break, it’s back to his dance routine.

During his routine, Midyette rouses teenagers to challenge his moves that are, most of the time, spontaneous and improvised.

“I love competition,” Midyette said. “Competition is good.”

Midyette, a self-employed entertainer, works from noon to late into the evening when Michigan Avenue begins to quiet down. On slow days, he said he makes around $100 to $300. However, on busy days during the summer or winter holidays, Midyette said his moves earn him somewhere between $600 and $1,000.

Midyette also performs at private functions such as bar mitzvahs and birthday and bachelor parties. His schedule is so busy that he hired a manager to work out deals with people, sign paperwork and help him with choreography and costuming. His manager, Leroy Jacobs, said Midyette charges $389 for one hour and $89 for each additional half-hour.

“He is very soft-hearted, easy-going and charitable,” Jacobs said. “We had conflicts before. Sometimes he doesn’t feel like performing, but I know he needs that money.”

Jacobs has known Midyette for more than a year now and said that he is not a professional manager. Jacobs said that he chose to work with him because Midyette had significant “mass appeal” and was in need of more promotion and exposure to the public.

“I’m just here to help,” Jacobs said. “He has talent. But he needs to be in the right environment so he can bloom.”

Midyette said that a lot of people used to ask him how he learned to dance so well and he would answer, “Jesus Christ had blessed me with an awesome talent. Without Him, I can’t do nothing.”

Midyette was raised in a Christian family in Brooklyn, N.Y. His father used to dance and now he continues the legacy. After graduating from high school, Midyette decided to learn ballet and martial arts in Manhattan. But due to New York City’s less-than-friendly atmosphere for street performers—the police often interrupted him during performances—he left the city to begin his career as Chicago’s very own Tin Man. Chicago, unlike New York City, provides a street-performing permit for $50.

Like many other people, Midyette had his own career objective—he wanted to get to Hollywood. He appeared in a number of movies, such as Rave, in which he was a background dancer in one scene.

But for now, Midyette and Jacobs are focusing on the Tin Man routine. Jacobs said they are working on appearances for the Tin Man and Midyette said that he plans to involve his audiences in his choreography.
Midyette, with Jacobs’ help, is trying to obtain a full-time job performing at Navy Pier. But fans of the Tin Man need not worry about missing his regular Magnificent Mile and State Street performances—he will still be performing at his usual spots.